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EV Sales Are Booming in Europe with Gasoline at $10 a Gallon

79 points · 150 comments · blondie9x

  1. gambiting · · focus · HN ↗
    I mean, I feel like even if petrol wasn't as expensive as it is, the sales would be booming anyway, maybe a sliver slower - for the simple reason that affordable EVs are now here and they are pretty damn good now. After years and years of lamenting "where are the EVs for your average Joe Smith" - they are now here. Funnily enough, they aren't made by Volkswagen or Peugeot, but they are here anyway. And Europe's cheapest new car - Dacia Spring - is an EV.
    1. diath · · focus · HN ↗
      You're delusional if you think an EV is affordable for an average person. The average person barely makes enough to cover rent, food, bills and save a little money - 15-30k EUR for an entry level EV is out of question. Meanwhile most people can afford to get a late 90s/early 00s used car that will actually get the job done.
      1. stoneman24 · · focus · HN ↗
        In the uk, there can be good deals on used EVs. My Hyundai Kona EV (64kWh) (2022 plate) was £18K for a 18 month old car with 9K miles on the clock and lots of options. It does about 280 miles on a charge and I do have the advantage of cheap home charging (8p per kWh) so it’s under a £5 for my weekly commute.

        A big step up from my old Ford fiesta, just look for the deals

        1. [deleted] · · focus · HN ↗

          [deleted]

        2. diath · · focus · HN ↗
          According to this data an average Brit would be able to save about 600 GBP monthly if they never had any extra expenses outside of rent and living costs. I don't think even a "good deal" 18k vehicle is affordable for that person.

          <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;movingtotheuk.co.uk&#x2F;cost-of-living-in-the-uk&#x2F;average-salary-uk" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;movingtotheuk.co.uk&#x2F;cost-of-living-in-the-uk&#x2F;average...

          <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;movingtotheuk.co.uk&#x2F;cost-of-living-in-the-uk" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;movingtotheuk.co.uk&#x2F;cost-of-living-in-the-uk

          <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.livingcost.net&#x2F;united-kingdom" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.livingcost.net&#x2F;united-kingdom

          1. happymellon · · focus · HN ↗
            What are you talking about?

            If they are driving then they are currently potentially spending a couple of hundred pounds a month on fuel for a subcompact car. We are breaching the monthly cost of a car loan to move to electric purely in the cost of petrol.

        3. rightnutwingjob · · focus · HN ↗
          &gt;&gt; 15-30k EUR for an entry level EV is out of question

          &gt; My Hyundai Kona EV (64kWh) (2022 plate) was £18K

          Completely fkn tone deaf.

        4. jandrewrogers · · focus · HN ↗
          £18k is something like 60% of the median income in the UK after taxes. And that doesn’t even include the other associated costs. Average people would view that as a major expense.

          Many people don’t have the elasticity in their month-to-month expenses that is assumed here.

        5. happymellon · · focus · HN ↗
          Its bizarre the hate your getting for this comment.

          You can get a used Hyundai Kona EV from Hyundai for under £15k.

          <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;used.hyundai.co.uk&#x2F;en&#x2F;used-car-search&#x2F;hyundai&#x2F;kona&#x2F;kona-electric-suv-e-150kw-premium-se-jjddg3n" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;used.hyundai.co.uk&#x2F;en&#x2F;used-car-search&#x2F;hyundai&#x2F;kona&#x2F;k...

          Even going off your £18k price, a car loan search shows it would be under £200 per month. Not sure where they pulled £600 from.

          But filling up my wife&#x27;s compact Peugeot 208 (I think?) was £75 over the weekend. Filling up twice is almost the same monthly cost as buying a larger electric SUV.

          It definitely seems like it would be worth investigating your options.

          1. stoneman24 · · focus · HN ↗
            It did seem odd, I usually buy used cars around 10K and 18 months old. But after getting friends and recommendations for EVs and a decent trade in to offset the 18K a little and some savings and finance, I went for the Kona. Won’t go back.

            I used to have a diesel Renault Clio, thankfully I don’t have it anymore at the current £2 per litre for diesel.

            On the commute into Edinburgh today, there’s plenty of newer cars than mine and quite a few EVs, so some people are buying them.

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